Johannesburg - Impala Platinum Holdings [JSE:IMP], the
world's No.2 platinum producer, said on Tuesday workers had demanded a second
pay hike this year, to effectively double their wages in six months, the latest
sign of labour unrest in the sector.
The demand comes as South African miners grapples with a
wave of strikes that last month led to the death of 44 people, 34 at the hands
of the police.
The unrest has also spread to gold producers, with Gold
Fields [JSE:GFI] reporting that 15 000 miners had embarked on a wildcat strike
at its KDC operations.
Implats granted workers an increase after a strike shut down
production at its key Rustenburg operations in January and February this year,
but the platinum producer says workers now want more.
"We believe that current tensions are an issue for the
entire industry," said Implats chief executive Terence Goodlace in a
statement.
He said that profit margins were under severe pressure
"with consequences for all concerned".
South Africa's platinum industry has been struggling to survive as input costs such as electricity have spiked and metals prices fall.